University of Pretoria professor Vukosi Marivate has been appointed as one of 40 experts to serve on the United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres recommended Marivate and the other panel members for appointment by the U.N. General Assembly.
According to the United Nations, the panel members were selected from a diverse range of disciplines and recognized for their expertise in artificial intelligence and related fields. They were chosen from more than 2,600 applications submitted by candidates from over 140 countries following an open call.
The Independent International Scientific Panel on AI was established by the General Assembly in August 2025. Its mandate is to assess how artificial intelligence is transforming societies and economies, advance scientific understanding and ensure that international policy discussions are informed by credible, evidence-based research.
Guterres said the panel responds directly to a mandate from member states under the Pact for the Future to strengthen multilateral approaches to emerging technologies. He described it as the first fully independent global scientific body dedicated to closing knowledge gaps around AI and evaluating its real-world impacts.
“AI is moving at the speed of light. No country can see the full picture alone,” Guterres said.
The South African government congratulated Marivate on his appointment, saying the panel would play a critical role in helping the global community distinguish evidence-based science from misinformation by serving as an authoritative and unbiased reference point.
Marivate is a professor of computer science at the University of Pretoria and holds the Absa data science chair at the institution. His research focuses on machine learning and artificial intelligence methods for extracting insights from data, with particular attention to natural language processing.
He is also a co-founder of Lelapa AI, a South African artificial intelligence research and product laboratory that develops speech recognition and language technologies for African languages.
In addition, Marivate leads the Data Science for Social Impact research group within the University of Pretoria’s computer science department. His work applies data science to social challenges, including projects in science, energy, public safety and utilities.
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